In The Lair of Fair

Spent a couple of hours last week nosing around the home & studio of artist Deybra Fair (http://www.deybrafair.com). Turning into the hillside drive way I am greeted by the screeching of peacocks roosting in nearby trees. There are found objects and art made of found objects liberally scattered around the grounds, hanging on walls and spilling from every shelf and covering every surface. Deybra's paintings, assemblages and sculpture have been a fixture of the local art scene far longer than either of us care to acknowledge.

How The Stuff You Buy Gets Here When You Live On An Island

In pursuit of wrapping up Phase II of the recent architectural project, a helicopter was chartered for some aerial work. The Robinson 22 is a tiny aircraft, seats a pilot & one passenger only. The cockpit, a small plastic bubble offering clean 180 degree views.

The day was crisp & blue...ideal conditions. On the way to the building, I managed to capture a few images of the Matson Container Barge & tug chugging it's way into the island's only deep water harbor and central supply depot. 

Most of the items we buy, use and eventually discard arrive in the island's by sea freight.

County Fair

Neighbors

   Antone By A Window ©2007 Tony Novak-Clifford

Old Wailuku Inn

Just a couple of blocks from my studio, there is a wonderful old historic home now operating as a licensed bed & breakfast operation known as The Old Wailuku Inn at Ulupono. Furnished and beautifully decorated in Hawaiian and Chinese immigration period antiques, the Inn is a popular lodging choice especially for business travelers from the island of Oahu. Situated just a couple of blocks away from all of the state & county buildings & offices, a 5 minute drive from the airport & town of Kahului and a twenty minute drive away from the resort areas of Kihei & Wailea, the Inn makes a logical "home base" for doing business on the Valley Isle. The town of Wailuku itself is an historic, funky area mixed with old, local, plantation-era residences, junktique shops, a trendy coffee shop/wine bar and great entertainment venue and just a hop, skip & a jump into cool & refreshing Iao Valley where you can hike, swim in natural stream pools fed by gurgling waterfalls and simply get away from it all. 

Monday was spent shooting new room interior photographs for the property. Here are a couple of views of the results.

Big Wind Blow Hard

No... the title of this blog entry is not referring to notsoonenoughtobe Ex-President Bush's farewell speech last night. We're talkin' weather here... and here on the Valley Isle we are getting plenty of weather.  High winds from the southwest blowing a steady 35 mph and often gusting up to 50 mph and more have been hammering the island now for the past few days as a severe cold front moves across the island chain. The front is supposed to pass us by late this evening and bring a return to normal trade winds but right now, it is very windy and, at the moment, a heavy rain is pelting my Wailuku studio as this weather front moves closer.

Yesterday morning on the drive in along Maui's north shore, big waves were still rolling in at Hookipa Beach Park, sending clouds of misty spindrift up the faces and over the top of the waves as they peaked, crested and broke. Wave faces were easily 12 ft. plus during the sets but the heavy offshore winds prevented the usual suspects from waxing up & dropping in.

A Quick Trip Into The Valley...

Today I enjoyed the company &  rousing conversation of Jupiter Images contributor, Robie Price over a nice lunch. Topics of discussion included sailing the coastal waters of the State of Maine, the state of the stock photography business (SuperStock Agency the latest to announce a bankruptcy filing), the business of photography in Hawaii vs. the mainland, the fact that neither of us quite understand the current trend of "snapshot" editorial and fine art photography that is all the rage... at least in the photo blogosphere, finding a decent Apple computer repair guy/gal and a myriad of other topics best left off the blog.

After lunch, I took a drive into historic Iao Valley State Park just a couple of miles up the road from my studio. The rock formation pictured above is known as the "Iao Needle" and is listed in all the Maui guidebooks as a must stop. The air was cool and fresh as I walked down the path towards the streams edge. That it was late in the afternoon and the thick clouds had already begun rolling over the mountains allowed for long, slow exposures which turned the flowing water into misty swirls.

A Night On The Town... or Better Late Than Never...

Friday Night, November 14, the West Maui glitterati descended upon I'O Restaurant in Lahaina for an evening of food, fun and FASHION as Maui's own dresser of the stars (Paris Hilton, Terri Hatcher, Halle Berry), Maggie Coulombe, debuted her latest designs to an eager public. On hand were great wines, delicious hor' dourves, beautiful women and paparazzi aplenty.

Fortunately, yours truly had an ALL ACCESS PASS and a front row seat to the festivities. I now bring you some highlights from the event.

                                      Sweet Girls With Treats

                                   Beauties On The Runway

                                     Model In Motion

                                           And Again...

                                        Busty Brunettes...

The Designer with her Restauranteur Husband, Lois Coulombe Celebrate A Great Party!

Wednesday Night at the Maui Film Festival

All Photographs ©2008 Tony Novak-Clifford

Maui Film Festival, Wednesday,  September 24, 2008